Red & Violet
by Digital Tempest
Summary: Gift fic. Post X2. Love found. Love lost. Will they ever be okay? A love story, evolved drabble style.
1. The Meeting

**Title:** Red & Violet  
**Author:** Tempest  
**Disclaimer:** No mutants were harmed in the making of this fic. They will be returned to sender in a timely fashion. Marvel owns everything, as of right now. No money was made off these works. No copyright infringement was intended.  
**Author's Notes:** I guess I should explain what a drabble is for those who don't know. A drabble is a story written in 100 words – a little more or a little less. I consider any story that's around 200 words a double drabble and anything more than that (1000 words max for me) an evolved drabble. Those are just my own rules. You approach it how you see fit. I was inspired to do this by an author named Marcus Rowland. He's on my favorites list. Even though he may never read this, I wanted to thank him. I have now found a new writing hobby.  
**Dedications:** To Sparkle. You asked for this pairing in a movieverse setting. You got it. Now stop sending me pictures of the guy you say would make the perfect "movieverse" Shinobi you big freak! Luv ya!

- - -

Ororo's feet beat against the pavement harder and harder. She could have run on the mansion grounds. Goddess knows there was enough land around it for her to run for days, but she wanted to escape the suffocating sorrow of the mansion grounds. Sorrow, regret, guilt – the place was saturated with it.

She almost feared going back there. They looked to her for her strength, her courage. Ororo would see them through this, they said. However, she hurt just as much as they did. Jean had been her friend, the only sister she had ever known. Who would comfort her?

Every night, she choked on the tears of her regret while they wept openly. What more could she have done? Jean chose her fate. She made herself a martyr. Why had Jean been so stupid, so thoughtless? Didn't she know how much it would hurt? Still, Ororo felt she should have done more, but she couldn't feeling some anger toward Jean.

Tears blinded her as she raced through the gates of the mansion. The world meshed together to form one colorful blur. She ran blindly, by instinct only, to the mansion door, her senses guiding her down that familiar path. A figured darkened her path to the doorway.

She blinked away her tears, wiping them away harshly with the back of her hand. A man came into focus, and he wasn't moving. Didn't he see her coming? He had no right to stand there as if he owned the place. She shifted to move around him a second too late.

She collided with the man. He still didn't move; his body was as hard as Piotr's metal armor. She bounced off him, steeling herself for the inevitable fall, but he caught one of her arms quickly. "Steady," he said, helping her to find her balance again.

"Why didn't you move?" she shouted at him, her anger and frustration yearning to lash out at this stranger.

"Is that any way to treat someone who just helped you?" he countered.

"I'm sorry. Why don't we start over?" she said, looking into the stranger's blue eyes. He was right. She had no right to lash out at him. She was letting her emotions get the best of her. She held out her right hand to him. "I am Ororo Munroe."

He clasped her hand between his own. "Shinobi… Shinobi Shaw."


	2. War of the Roses

More roses. Her room overflowed with them. Petals of a million different colors scattered across her floor, the scent of them filled the mansion. Why wouldn't he stop sending her roses? He'd been sending them nonstop since their initial meeting two weeks ago. Everyday, without fail, she would watch as the delivery boy walked to the doorstep.

"Flowers for you, Ms. Munroe," the boy would say when she answered the door.

"Thank you, Jeffrey." She would thank him politely, giving him a sizable tip. He came so often she knew his first name.

"I see why he sends you flowers everyday. If you were my girl, I'd send you flowers everyday, too." Jeffrey said once, peering at her from underneath messy, brown hair. He blushed slightly when she laughed.

Shinobi asked her out twice. She said no twice. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to him because she was. He was quite handsome with his jet-black hair and blue eyes, and his voice was so silky it made her knees quiver. He had serial lover painted all over him, but she didn't care. She was flattered that he pursued her of all women, that he was relentless in his pursuit.

"I want you. There's nothing you can do about that." He told her when she rejected him the second time. She feigned exasperation with him, but secretly, her heart beat a little faster in her chest.

She just wasn't looking for a relationship at the moment. At least, that's what she told him. Deep inside, she felt guilty for being attracted to him, for wanting to be with him. She shouldn't be pining for him like a lovestruck teenager. It was too soon after Jean's death. She should still be mourning her friend.

Then again, wouldn't Jean want her to be happy, even if it's only for a few fleeting moments? Maybe, if Shinobi asked her out again, she would say yes.


	3. Think Twice

"He's trouble." Logan said.

"_You're_ trouble." Ororo said vacantly.

She didn't know why she humored him, but she let him babble at her as she hummed along with an Ali Farka Touré song. She heard him speaking, but his words barely registered as she brushed her hair. She only answered him when she felt a point needed to be made. The rest was just meaningless chatter that she would soon forget.

"He's all wrong for you." He said to her. He touched her bare shoulder, and she shrugged away from his fingers.

"So are _you_." She said.

This time she turned to look at him, and he dropped his eyes. They rarely talked about that stolen moment between them right after Jean's death. In fact, that was the first time either one had mentioned it in months. It was a foolish moment of passion and grief. It meant nothing. She felt nothing. And she had went numb when he called out Jean's name in his own ecstasy. She would never allow herself to be so irrational again.

"'Ro, I don't wanna see you get hurt."

"What is it you really want, Logan?" She furrowed her eyebrows at him. He didn't answer her immediately. He seemed to be mulling over his words, carefully.

Ororo turned back to her vanity mirror, concentrating on her hair again. She pinned it up precisely; she wanted everything to be perfect for the night. It took her hours to pick out a dress to wear. She finally decided on the famed little, black dress. You could never go wrong with that. When was the last time she was this excited about anything? Since Jean's death, nothing moved her anymore.

"I'm just tryin' to look out for you. There's somethin' suspicious about Shinobi."

"A man shows interest in me, and he's suddenly suspicious."

"That's not what I meant."

"That's what it sounded like you meant."

"Just be careful, 'Ro." He said before he left.

- - -

**Author's notes:** I only gave you one chapter for bugging the hell out of me, Sparks. Keep it up, buddy. I'll torture you to your dying day. And don't worry, Nienna, I plan on having everything you need to know about Shinobi in the drabbles. Darlin, the inspiration for this came from not only Sparkle's constant pestering, but the comic where Shinobi basically drugged Ororo. More soon. :)


	4. Laughter

"You look delicious," he said to her when he picked her up from the mansion.

_As do you_, she wanted to say. "Thank you."

They rode to the restaurant in his silver BMW coupe. His music played loudly, permeating the silence of the night. He had a penchant for classical ballads. He drove at high-speeds, recklessly, without regard for his own life or hers. He was uninhibited. She knew that feeling once before she became an X-Man. Now, she was the controlled, matronly co-leader of the X-Men.

His fingers brushed against her knee when he shifted gears. Long, soft fingers stroked her skin, and she laughed. She stopped abruptly. Her own laughter was such an unfamiliar sound to her. When was the last time she had laughed? She laughed louder, laughed until her stomach ached. He laughed with her. Though, she didn't think he knew why he was laughing. Apparently, it didn't matter.

He pulled in the front of the restaurant. The valet opened her door. Shinobi joined her side, offering her his arm. She brushed her hair back over her shoulders. Over her shoulders?

"My hair!" She said before they entered the restaurant. She hadn't been thinking on the ride to the restaurant. She had only been concerned with enjoying.

He ran his fingers through her loose hair. "I like it better that way."


	5. Dinnertime Chats

"What do you know about me?" He asked her at dinner, and she told him what she knew about him.

She knew he was a mutant. The professor told her. He had the ability to control his body's density, making his body as hard a rock or reducing the density to the point that he could walk through objects like Kitty Pryde. He could even control the density of certain parts of his body like he could put just his hand through a wall if he wanted.

She knew he was the vice president of Shaw Enterprises, second only to his father, Sebastian Shaw. His father was the head of the Hellfire Club, also, an elite club of affluent men and women. She didn't know much more about it than that. She heard of corrupt things they did, but she didn't know. People talked, but she only half-listened. She wouldn't condemn him for the sins of his father, anyway. He was his own person.

She didn't know why he was at the mansion that day. His answer chimed the professor's. Business, that's all it was. She guessed that was a nice way of telling her it wasn't any of her concern.

"What do you want to know about me?" He asked when she finished.

Everything. She wanted to know everything, but she knew she could never know everything. He told her about his home in Japan where his mother was. He told her about life growing up with a father who only cared for money and power. She could tell his father was a sore spot. His voice became bitter and hard whenever he mentioned him, but immediately softened when he spoke of his mother. He told her about his dreams, his aspirations, and his desires.

"Now, what don't I know about you?" he asked. He covered her hand with his. She smiled.

- - -

**Author's notes:** I promise I'm working on updating some of my other stories, specifically Odalisque. I'm just having a blast with this.


	6. Gods & Goddesses

Ororo cried at the play. She had never seen a Nō play before. She had never seen any Japanese play before. Everything told a story from the elaborate makeup to the dance movements. She was entranced. After the play, he bought her a Nō mask as a souvenir. It was a beautifully crafted dragonhead with a gaping mouth. Ryujin.

Shinobi put the mask on. He spoke to her in Japanese, moving as gracefully as the actors had. He was telling her a story with his movements, with his words.

"Ryujin is the Japanese god of the sea. He lives in a palace at the bottom of the sea called Ryugu, which means dragon's court. Using Tide Jewels, he controls the flow of the tides. When I was younger, I used to try to catch turtles because I believed that I would get lucky and catch one of Ryujin's daughters in disguise. Then, she would marry me, and I could live in the sea palace." He explained in English, then pulled the mask from his face.

He handed the mask back to her, and she cradled it in her hands. "Ryujin. Japanese god of the Sea." She repeated.

During the ride back to the mansion, they talked a little more about the gods and goddesses. "If you were a Japanese goddess, I think you would be Haniyasu-hime, the goddess of the earth. She and her husband sustained life on Earth. They punished and they nurtured. From them, we get our seasons." He said.

She would have to ask the professor to give her a crash course on Japanese culture in the morning.

"Did you ever catch your wife?" she asked when he walked her to the door of the mansion.

"No, I grew up and realized I couldn't marry sea goddesses. I had to be more practical than that. I now have my sights aimed on earth goddesses." He chuckled, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ororo."

She held the mask to her face, watching him walk back to her his car, hiding her smile.


	7. Catch Her If You Can

She liked running; it wasn't anything like flying. Running was so _normal_ compared to flying. She could run fast even without the aid of the winds. She liked the burning that rippled through her legs, the shortening of her breath. Running was a challenge. She had to work harder to overcome fatigue. She had to let her body know that she was in control.

Shinobi wanted her to visit Japan with him. He asked her at dinner a few weeks later. She made a thousand excuses why she couldn't go. The kids needed her. The professor needed her. They needed her, right? He told her he would race her for the right to take her to Japan. Was he serious? He took her to a local park. He was serious.

"Let's see if you're really as fast as you think you are, Munroe," he said, loosening his tie.

She took off her heels. "You're never going to beat me in those shoes. Ferragamos were not made to race in."

He followed suit and took off his shoes. They mapped out a rough track. They had to run around a big tree to get to the finish line. They raced under the moonlight like wild children, laughing and urging the other on. She only had a slight lead over him. And she knew she had him when the tree came into view. She shifted left and ran around the tree. He was already on the other side waiting at the "finish line".

He won. He won?

"No fair. You ran through the tree!"


	8. Hospitality

Everyone in Japan was so polite. They were so polite she wouldn't have known if someone was insulting her. Everything about the place fascinated her, and she asked a million questions in the thirty minutes it took to drive from the airport to his home. She thought he would tire of them, but he laughed and answered every one.

He had a nice place. His house was orderly, decorated in mostly black and deep red. He definitely had taste, and she wondered if he decorated the place himself. She looked around almost breathless, and she had to bite back the "wow" that wanted to slip from her lips. The last thing she wanted was for him to think that she was unaccustomed to nice things.

"I guess I should give you a tour of the place." She followed him from room to expansive room. The tour ended in the bedroom. She hadn't even thought about where she was going to sleep, and she was surprised when he offered up his bedroom.

"Where are you going to sleep?" She asked almost blushing. She realized how that sounded and what she was implying. Maybe she meant it that way. Maybe she didn't. Maybe she wouldn't have mind if he… what was she thinking?

"In one of the guest rooms." He laughed.

Next, he introduced her to his _staff_, saying they were to respect her as they would him. She took an immediate liking to a girl named Ayame, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. When Ororo was unpacking, Ayame assisted her. The girl talked a mile a minute. Ororo liked the way she gestured extravagantly with her hands when she tried to think of a word in English.

"Munroe-san, do you like Shaw-san? Because he likes you a lot. I can tell." Ayame said, her eyes shining. The girl was obviously a romantic at heart.

"Yes, I like him a lot, too."

Tomorrow she was meeting his mother.


	9. Motherly Love

Yoshino Hazuki was soft spoken, but her eyes shined with knowledge. Her petite framed belied the strength of her stance. Her voice was like gentle rain, steady and calm, but Ororo could hear the authority. This was a woman who had really lived life and had a story to tell. She felt like a kindred spirit rather than a woman Ororo just met.

Ms. Hazuki obviously loved her son. She talked about him with proud, motherly love. Like all devoted mothers, she had photo albums filled to the brim with his pictures. She insisted on showing Ororo photos of him as a child while his mortified cries of "Mother!" filled the room. Ororo laughed at a picture of baby Shinobi in a bathtub, and Shinobi's cheeks turned the color of sun-ripened cherries.

Ororo noticed she never spoke of Shinobi's father. There were no pictures of him in the photo albums; never any mention that he existed at all. She spoke as if Shinobi only had one parent. She guessed the ill feelings Shinobi had for his father were shared by his mother, as well. She wondered if she would ever get to meet his father.

Ororo helped Ms. Hazuki prepare dinner. Shinobi hovered around them until his mother shooed him away, saying they needed time to talk alone. He left, but didn't venture very far. Ms. Hazuki made a motion with her head toward the door. He was eavesdropping.

"Did you know that he slept with a purple elephant he called Binky-san until he was sixteen?" Ms. Hazuki said loudly.

"Mother!"

- - -

**Author's notes:** Trust me, Nienna, these frequent updates are very unusual for me. Thanks for pointing out my typo, though. Thanks everyone for all your reviews. I really appreciate them. Um, I made up Shinobi's mom's name and stuff because I didn't remember if she was ever explicitly mentioned in the comics.


	10. Ecstasy Laughing

She could hardly breathe as the passion pulled her into its clutches, threatening to smother her. He was all around her, and there was nowhere she could go to get away from him. Goddess, his flesh was so nice. They moved together on a wave of pleasure, and he whispered in her ear in that soft Japanese, encouraging her on. Her name fell repeatedly from his lips like a forbidden confession.

Lovemaking had always been sort of a do or die experience with her. When she slept with a man, it was always like she was telling herself, "Okay, Munroe, you've got to get yours before he gets his." Selfish lovers didn't allow such propensities. It never seemed to be about what she wanted. She never went into sex anymore with hopes of having an earth-shattering experience. Those fantasies were for oversexed virgins.

So, why was this fire swelling in her stomach, rolling along the plains her thighs, rendering her helpless? Her thighs trembled and her breath shortened. She pulled him closer, fingers sinking into his skin with a death vise. She remembered reading a novel where the orgasm was described as laughter between the legs.

_Well, ha! Hahaha!_

Author's Notes: That particular description of the orgasm can be found in Toni Morrison's _The Bluest Eye._


	11. Contagious

Ororo came back from Japan a changed woman. She laughed. A lot. She laughed so much it was contagious. She would walk into her classroom with a smile that rivaled the sun, and her students couldn't help but smile back. Her smile was so warm, so comforting. It made them feel like everything was going to be okay, despite everything that happened.

Even Scott brightened a little when she was in the room. She shared a piece of her joy with them all. She had nothing but kind words for them all. She even excused Bobby when he forgot to do his homework. "You can bring it in tomorrow," she would say in a voice that danced on the air. She was happy. She was a woman in love, and everyone reaped the rewards.

"This is good for her," they said. They all agreed. Well, almost everyone.

_"Send her back to me. Cause everyone can see without her I will be in misery."_ When they heard those lines drift from Logan's bedroom door, they all tipped a little softer by his room. They would all roll their eyes, but they still would tread a little softer. Beware the wrath of the Wolverine.

"Poor bastard. He still mourns Jean," they said. They all agreed. Well, almost everyone.

- - -

**Author's Notes:** I'm going out of town in a couple of days, so I may not update this (or anything else) for a bit. I may update a couple of more chapters on this before we leave, though, since they are short. Knowing me, who knows? As soon as I return home, I promise to get back to the grind, though. The song mentioned this chapter is "Misery" by the Beatles.


	12. Confrontations

"You have some nerve," she spat at Logan. "You are not the only one with instincts around here."

They were arguing again. They always argued these days. The more she saw Shinobi, the worse it got. They would yell at each other so loud the mansion would rock from the verbal force. Sometimes, she wanted to strike him down where he stood, but she always managed to control those impulses. She was convinced that he wanted to see her just a miserable as him.

She didn't think he wanted to see anyone happy the way he growled and roared at everyone. Something was wrong with everyone. She mentally ran through the things he thought was wrong about them all. Scott was an overbearing prick. The professor grated on his nerves with all his psychological mumble-jumble. Kurt didn't have a clue. The children were annoying with all their noises and unwanted questions.

Lastly, there was her because she was committing an unforgivable sin in his book. She was dating. Not only was she dating, but she was dating Shinobi Shaw. That made her pure evil. Somebody call in the reinforcements.

And he always played _that_ song. Sometimes, at night, it would drift through the floors of her attic room. She would try to drown it out by covering her head with a pillow. That rarely worked. She didn't know what his problem was, and she didn't have time to deal with tantrums.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Logan said before stalking away.

- - -

**Author's Notes:** The RoLo complex just won't leave me alone. I have to slip it in here somehow.


	13. Just Another Pretty Face

It rained the day she met Shinobi's father. The sky rumbled ominously all day. She wanted to chase the clouds away, but she didn't believe in playing with Mother Nature unless she had to. The weather fit Shinobi's sullen mood perfectly, though. She begged him for weeks to take her to meet his father, to see the company he would inherit. Reluctantly, he agreed to do so.

He sped down the highway without saying a word. His eyes clouded so darkly they looked black. She held her breath as he maneuvered the slick roadways. He always drove fast, but at that moment, he was driving as if he really did want to kill both of them. His mood improved somewhat when he gave her a tour of the company, but it darkened again when he introduced her to his father, which was the last thing he did.

He led her into a large office where his father paced the floors. "And this is my father," Shinobi said with little emotion, "Sebastian Shaw." His father stopped pacing long enough to look at the two of them.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Shaw," she said meekly. She didn't like the way Shinobi's father looked at her. It was as if he wasn't truly seeing her at all. He eyed her as if she prize livestock. She recoiled from his stare, finding Shinobi's hand for comfort.

"How long will this one last?" Mr. Shaw said, flicking his wrist Ororo's way. She didn't like it when people talked as if she weren't in the room, and just what did he mean by that question?

Shinobi's grip tightened on her hand; it was almost painful. The tension that passed between them made her heart ache. It snaked around them, gripping their hearts maliciously. "I really like Ororo, father." His voice was warmed death.

"That's what you said about the last one, the one before that one, and the one before that. So, I want to know. How long will this one last, Shinobi?" he asked again. Sebastian turned to her abruptly. "You're just another pretty face among many, my dear. You don't mean much to him."

She felt her eyes sting, and she pulled her hand away from Shinobi's, bolting from the room before he could see the first tear drop from her eye. She could understand why he despised his father.


	14. A Seed of Doubt

They had their first argument on the way back to the mansion. He could have warned her. He could have told her that his father was a spiteful, old bastard. He could have. He couldn't have. He was not to blame for his father's moods, but she couldn't help being angry with Shinobi. She felt like he left her wide open for his father's remarks.

What was it? She was just another pretty face among many. She wondered how many women Shinobi took to meet his father before her. Had they begged to meet his father as she had or was it done willingly on his part? Did his father have nothing but snide comments to offer those other women as well or was it just her?

What was she thinking dating Shinobi? She should be focusing on her lesson plans instead of traipsing around the city like a teenager. She should have been worrying about villains instead of spending time in Shinobi's bed. She had her priorities all skewed because of a man, a man who would probably move on at any time – if you listened to his father.

When did it stop being about just having fun?

- - -

**Author's Notes:** Back home, refreshed, and ready to write. :)


	15. Far Removed

Ororo was despondent these days. She always felt manic or depressed since that day she met Shinobi's father. She tried to hide her sadness. She had to control it. She hurt, but she tried to hold it all in. She had no other choice. She _couldn't_ let her emotions swerve out of control. She wished that Jean was still with her. Jean would offer her "sisterly" advice. When she thought about Jean, she hurt more.

She hadn't spoken to Shinobi in days. The last words he said to her before she began her sabbatical from him were, "Why are you punishing me because of _him_?" She was blaming him for something. Maybe it was because she thought he could have done more to defend her. Maybe it because for the first time she was faced with the reality that the relationship probably wouldn't go anywhere.

How could she tell him that she thought she was making a mistake by being with him? The more she thought about it, the more they seemed far removed from each other. She was a rich boy's plaything. Maybe his father saw something she didn't. They were from different worlds. She was just beating him to the punch. She left him on the stoop that night expecting nothing more from him.

She wasn't the type of woman he needed. Next week, he would find him someone to replace her. He would forget about her, and this would all just be a whirlwind affair in her mind. She was wrong. He wouldn't hear it. When he called, she was busy. When he stopped by, she wasn't there. When he sent presents, she sent them back unopened. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? Didn't he know this was already hard enough for her?


	16. It's A Perfect Day

Logan was whistling when he came downstairs. Whistling! Of all the perverse things in the world, he whistled. She felt like hell, and he had the nerve to whistle. She wanted to cover her ears and scream, but she took another sip of her coffee, as the muscle in her jaw twitched. She muttered a good morning over her coffee when he walked into the kitchen, thinking there was nothing good about it at all.

Lately, he'd been much more civil, and she thanked the gods he stopped playing _that_ song. The tension between them wasn't quite so thick. In fact, she even asked him if he was happy she stopped seeing Shinobi. She didn't wait for a response, though, as a slow smile crawled across his face. She probably would have slapped him if he said he was.

He sat across from her at the table with his morning beer. She could feel his eyes on her, and she looked up from her coffee, raising her eyebrows in questioning. She didn't like it when he studied her like that. He'd been doing it a lot lately, and it made her just a bit uncomfortable. It was as if he was peeling away her skin and looking at her soul.

"What?" she finally said.

"It's a perfect day, 'Ro."


	17. Statement of Intent

Ororo took the girls shopping; she had to get out of her funk. She let the girls wander the mall alone, giving them a time to meet her at the food court. She walked around the mall glancing in the windows of different stores. Mostly, though, she thought about Shinobi. She shook her head sadly and stopped in front of a store that sold African figurines.

Her heart stopped beating when she caught his reflection in the glass. As she turned, she told herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. When she saw him standing before her, she decided that she was hallucinating. She hadn't been sleeping much lately. Didn't sleep deprivation sometime bring about hallucinations?

She knew he was very real when he walked over to her and touched her hand. His emotions were painted on his face. She could see all his sadness there. "Shinobi, what a pleasant surprise," she said, plastering a plastic smile on her face.

"Why haven't you returned my phone calls? Why won't you see me? Why have you returned all my gifts?" He barely paused between his questions before he was talking again. "Do you have any idea what this feels like? Do you even care?"

"I–"

"What do you want me to do? Beg?" he asked, dropping to his knees, hugging her around the midsection. "You're the last thought on my mind at night, and the first thought I have when I wake up. I am going out of my mind because of you. All I think about is you."

At first, she didn't know what to say. A man had never gotten on his knees for her, not like this. Sure, male worshippers fell to their knees in supplication in Africa, but this was different. She couldn't believe some of the things coming out of his mouth. It was like watching one of those Lifetime movies. This kind of stuff wasn't supposed to happen in real life.

"Shinobi, get up," she whispered, her face warming as she looked around. She couldn't believe he was on his knees, asking—no, begging—her to take him back.

"You don't know what it's like to have the woman you love scorning you." Her stomach lurched when she heard him say those words. She was going to throw up all over his expensive, Italian shoes.


	18. He Loves Her

He said he loved her. Okay, he hadn't said the words "I love you", but he referred to her as the woman he loved. It made her throat tight when she thought about it. She almost passed out in the mall. She finally managed to pry his arms from her waist, saying she had to find the girls and get them home. She promised she would talk to him later.

That appeased him a little. He offered to drive her and the girls home. She knew the girls would love to crowd into his little coupe, but she politely declined the offer. He shocked her with his public show of affection, and she needed time to regroup. It wasn't everyday she had men on their knees in the middle of the mall. Who wouldn't need a little time to recover after that?

She knew how she felt about him. Her feelings for him were strong. However, she didn't want to be hurt, so she kept her feelings to herself. She went down that road once, confessing love for someone who ultimately left her alone. She had to be careful. Her heart was smiling, though. Somebody loved her! Not the goddess. Not the nurturer. Her, Ororo Munroe!


	19. Run For It

"Ms. Munroe?" Rogue asked from her perch in the window. Ororo looked away from her book. "Isn't that your boyfriend?"

Rogue was pointing out the window. Ororo stood from her seat; the book slipped from her hands. She looked out the window to see Shinobi coming up the walkway. "I am not here!" Ororo said, practically running up the stairs, nearly tripping on the way up.

She managed not to throw up on Shinobi's shoes, but now, she was running away from him as if she were the same age as the children she taught. She was a grown woman. She didn't have to run from him. This was her home. She hoped he hadn't seen her. She skittered around a corner, colliding with Piotr.

He looked at her with raised eyebrows as she muttered a hurried "sorry" and sped down the hallway. She closed the door to her room, jumping in her bed, hiding under the covers. What the hell was she doing? Why was she acting like this? She could handle this. She could…

"Ororo, why are you hiding under the covers?" she heard him ask. She peeked from beneath her covers at Shinobi. She saw Rogue in the doorway behind him, mouthing her apologies.

- - -

Author's Notes: Just a little silliness for Sparkle. :) See what kind of effect you have on me, girl?


	20. Let's Talk It Out

He wouldn't leave the room until she talked to him. She tried everything to get him to leave, even saying that she was going to sleep. Forget that the sun was still up. He said he would stay and watch her sleep. Then, in a desperate attempt, she said she was about to shower and she needed him to leave. "I'll stay and watch that, too," he said, a smile threatening cover his face. He was so incorrigible.

She knew she wasn't being fair to him. She shut him out because of something that wasn't his fault, and then, she expected him to just accept it without another word. Most men would have given up by now, called her an "ice queen", looked for more yielding horizons, but he already proved he wasn't like most men she knew.

She was just scared because it had been so long since she really cared for a man this much. _Take a chance on this one, Munroe,_ her heart said. "All right, let's talk, Shinobi," she said. What harm could a little talking do?

- - -

**Author's Notes:** Thanks, Darlin, for your review at the Realm. You're just too sweet. I'm glad that you enjoy my stories, and I appreciate all your feedback. As far as _Devil's Kiss_ goes, I thought about posting it here, but there were a few reasons why I didn't. The first being, I thought it was too mature in nature for this site. The second being that, since it is very AU, I didn't know how people were going to take it without having more of a background story. I'm glad to know that you are enjoying it, though. I may just post it.


	21. Promise Her Nothing

Ororo laughed until she couldn't see straight. Shinobi could not dance to save his life, and she was going to have the sore toes to attest to that. "Not funny." Shinobi said, smiling with her. She wanted to dance, so he took her dancing. He did warn her, though. Everyone says they can't dance, and they're usually not that bad. But he was bad, very bad.

They sat at a table and ordered a couple of drinks. They hadn't really talked, yet. They mostly skirted around the issue at hand. She wanted to tell him that his father's words made her really question all this. He made it seem as if she were nothing more than a whore for Shinobi's disposal. Love her this week. Dump her next week. That's what she read in Mr. Shaw's words.

She sipped on her wine and finally said, "Where is this relationship really going?" she asked. She hoped she wouldn't have to listen to a string of promises. That's what usually happened when she asked a man where "this" was going. She had enough promises from men to last her three lifetimes. She just wanted to know what he thought this was leading to.

"I don't know, but I do know that I care for you deeply," he said, and that was an honest enough answer for her.

- - -

**Author's Notes:** Let me just say that Sarah McLachlan's album "Afterglow" and provides the inspiration for much of this fic along with Ali Farka Touré's album "Talking Timbuktu", Alicia Key's "The Diary of Alicia Keys", and Poe's "Haunted". Just a random tidbit I felt like sharing.


	22. He Ain\'t Right For Her

"Give sorrow words," she read aloud, "the grief that does not speak whispers the o'erfraught heart, and bids it break."

It was the opening lines of a book Kurt let her borrow – _In Lieu of Flowers: A Conversation for the Living._ She had been talking a lot lately with Kurt about Jean's death. It felt good to finally talk out her pain and anger with someone else. He hadn't known Jean well, but he knew sorrow.

Ororo read to herself, as Logan joined her in the parlor. She was vaguely aware of him speaking to her. No, provoking her. He wanted her to argue with him, and she wasn't biting. She looked at him over the book, partly amused. "Is arguing all you like to do?" she asked, humor edging her words.

"I like to drink beer, too."

Ororo shook her head, remaining silent. She used her finger as a bookmarker, as she let her mind wander. She smiled when she thought about Shinobi. She was keeping him at arm's length. Sort of.

"What the hell are you smilin' about?" he grumbled at her.

"It's a perfect day, Logan," she smirked at him before standing from her seat. She had other things to do besides cater to Logan's childish moods.

"He ain't right for you."

She kept walking.

- - -

Author's Notes: Okay Sparkle! Stop blowing up my e-mail box, instant messengers, text messages, and all other means of digital communication. I hear you! Gah! I've just been busy getting ready for NaNoWriMo. Cut me just a little bit of slack! I'll have more updates on this soon.


	23. Warmed Death

She didn't feel too good. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to get out of bed. She just wanted to roll back over and sleep for a week. The last time she felt like that was after Jean's death, but nobody had died this time. She was just feeling sluggish, and she didn't know why. Kurt knocked on her door and said something about breakfast. Thinking about breakfast made her want to retch.

She rolled over in her bed, pulling the covers over her head. She didn't want to get up, but she had to. She had to at least drink a cup of coffee before class. She dragged herself out of bed. Her muscles screamed as she walked to the bathroom. She went dancing with Shinobi the night before. They were taking dance classes to conquer his two left feet. So far, so good.

She was used to dancing, though. She shouldn't feel like she just ran a marathon. She dressed slowly, barely paying attention to her appearance. She just wasn't in the mood for it. She wouldn't say she was high maintenance, but she did try to look presentable most of the time. She didn't care how presentable she looked right then, though.

She went downstairs. Scott was in the kitchen. He looked exhausted as usual. Ororo knew he wasn't sleeping much these days. "Are you okay? You and Logan are usually the first people up in the morning." Scott said, leaning against the counter. He was having his morning breakfast – orange juice and a bagel. He wouldn't eat much else.

"I think I'm just a little tired." Ororo answered, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Who am I kidding? I look like death warmed over twice."

"Join the club." Scott said with a small chuckle.

- - -

**_Author's Notes:_** No worries. This will be updated more often now. I took a break from many of my stories to complete my NaNoWriMo goal for November, but I'm back at it now. :)


	24. One Line or Two

One line or two. Did two pink lines mean pregnant or not pregnant?

She should consult the box. She chewed on her lip. Deep down, she knew what two pink lines meant. She just wasn't ready to accept it. She picked up the box and looked at it. She compared her results to the results on the box. Well, her second line was somewhat faded. Did that mean that maybe she really wasn't pregnant?

She knew it didn't matter whether the line was faded or not. She was pregnant. She sat there for a minute trying to digest that. Then she started crying. "Oh, Goddess…" she moaned. She didn't know if she was ready for motherhood. She always thought she would marry and then kids would come, of course. Never this. _Never_ this. _NEVER THIS!_

Now… how was she supposed to tell Shinobi?

Okay, wait, first she had to take twenty more tests. You never could be sure.

- - -

**Author's Notes:** I actually have a bunch of these chapters written up and have for a while, but I just haven't uploaded them yet. I've just been sending them to my friend, Sparks, for her consumption.


	25. Attack of the Three Headed Monster

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She picked at her salad.

"Is your food okay?"

"Yeah, everything is perfect." She forced herself to take a bite for him.

"Something is not right."

"Shinobi, I'm pregnant."

That was how the conversation went. He took her to dinner and it just came tumbling out. He said something after that, but it was in Japanese. She didn't understand it, and she didn't ask him to translate. Then, he didn't say anything else. He just looked at her as if she had three heads. At least, that's how she interpreted the look.

- - -

Author's notes: These next few chapters are drabble-length. Meaning, they are all 100-words in length exactly.


	26. The Pressure

"Ms. Munroe, can you…"

"Ororo, are you…"

"Ms. Munroe, won't you…"

"Storm, I need you…"

"Ms. Munroe, did you…"

She covered her ears. She was tired of the questions, of the pressure, of everyone depending on her. Didn't they see she had her own problems? Shinobi would barely talk to her. She was pregnant with his child. She didn't know what to do. And by the gods, she was hungry. She was angry. She didn't have her best friend to lean on. She felt alienated, alone.

"Ms. Munroe, will you…"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled. Lightning struck the tree outside.


	27. Soulful Eyes

"I'm not angry with you. I just had to come to terms with this."

His excuse for avoiding her for the last two weeks.

"You must know this can't be easy."

Of course she knew that. She's the one who's pregnant not him.

"Ororo, I care for you deeply, and I will care for this baby, too."

Oh, he was giving her that soulful look that made her knees weak. She was supposed to be angry with him. She couldn't give in. She had to fight the eyes, but they were so beautiful. Ugh, she hated it when he won.


	28. Vicious Cycle

He was the epitome of uncertainty, shifting heedlessly between two extremes—caring and uncaring. One minute he was showering her with affection, the next he was regarding her as if she were some foreign object.

He said the thought of parenthood left him unsure, feeling helpless. Some days he was elated that she was pregnant. Some days he seemed to resent her. He never had much of a relationship with his father, and he didn't know what he had to offer a child of his own.

He said he wasn't sure of his place in the "grand scheme of things." How could he be sure he wouldn't repeat the sins of his father. An uncaring father. A child who'd grow to resent him. It was a vicious cycle waiting to repeat itself.

"But you do care. Don't you?" she asked.

And he didn't speak at all.

- - -

**Author's Notes:** Yes, I know these chapters are short. They're drabbles, meant to be consumed in bite size portions. ;) Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.


	29. A Mission!

"A mission!"

He was already shaking his head before she could get the rest of her sentence out. She tried to plead her case, to make him understand. This is what she did; this is who she was.

"No," he said.

She didn't like the hard line his lips formed when he was angry or the way his eyes seemed to cut right through her. In mere seconds, with just the utter of a few words, all warmth had left him. Then again, he was rarely ever warm these days. His moods changed as quickly as hers did.

She felt her own spite welling inside her, telling her to point out that he treated her like some kind of disease half the time. What did he care what she did and did not do?


	30. Air Sickness

_Maybe this wasn't a smart idea_, she said to herself. She didn't feel so well, and unfortunately for her, the Blackbird didn't come equip with sickness bags. And Scott was talking to her, but all she seemed to hear in her head was "blah, blah, blah…"

She hadn't exactly discussed her current situation with any of the others. She wasn't showing, and she didn't think she gave away too many tell-tale signs. Sickness could be attributed to bad food. Mood swings were blamed on the stress of recent events.

Who'd questioned her. Her word was solid. If she said it, that's all it was. No one need dig deeper that that. Why would they? She was an earnest woman. She may hide her emotions, but she wasn't known to outright lie.

And watching Scott's lips move was making her stomach churn worse.

Maybe she should've told someone about the pregnancy, and maybe she shouldn't be trying to participate in missions. But she could take care of herself. She would be okay. She wouldn't let anything happen to herself or the baby. She'd die first.

Besides, missions gave her a needed break from Shinobi. Missions allowed her to concentrate, to problem solve. Things she was good at. Missions left little time to think about Shinobi or his indecisiveness.

And why was Scott was going on and on and on…?

She hadn't told Shinobi that she was going on the mission despite his protests. She didn't exactly know how she was supposed to explain her absence to him. He seemed to almost care that she might get hurt while out on a mission. Whether it was for his own convenience or not, she couldn't be sure about.

She had to give Shinobi more credit. At least, he was hanging in there. And… what was Scott talking about again? Iron Man? Fantastic Four? What? Oh Goddess, she was going to be sick.

"… right on my shoes…!"

Finally, Scott made some kind of sense.


	31. Mr and Mrs Rowell

Malaysia was an interesting place to house a mutant-slave ring, she decided. During the first few days of their landing there, she'd fallen in love with the Malay dish _nasi_ _lemak_. She could eat it all day and be satisfied.

But she had the displeasure of being teamed with Logan. Mr. and Mrs. Rowell, that's what Scott made them sign the hotel registry with. Scott thought it would be less inconspicuous if they pretended to be American tourists… and if she wore that awful black wig.

"Shouldn't you tell somebody?" he asked her that third night in the privacy of their room.

She was scratching head like a madwoman. Why couldn't she get that wig off and why was Logan speaking to her? "Tell someone what?" she asked agitated at not only him, but the stupid wig on her head.

"That you're pregnant."

She tried to pretend that she was effected by what he'd just said. "No, and neither should you." _And_ _damn you for noticing_, she added silently.


	32. Precarious Situation

Okay, someone had failed to mention that they would be working with the government on this one. Four days into the mission, they had an "underground" meeting with agents of Interpol. Seems the people who were running the slave ring were high on Interpol's "To-do" list. It was a precarious situation if Ororo had ever seen one.

"I know that human-mutant relations are rather shaky. I'll level with you. The governments of the world are afraid, and they think that with your help we'll be able to stop this thing. They are afraid of what Morrow will do with so many mutants. They are afraid of what people who buy mutants will do with them," the female agent said.

"How is he controlling all of those mutants? Surely, some of them have tried to fight back. Why haven't they succeeded?" Ororo asked.

"Details are sketchy. However, our informant tells us that he uses some kind of device to control their powers. A collar, I believe she said. These collars may also give the owner a certain amount of control over how and when a mutant uses his or her powers. Don't quote me. She also mentioned that Morrow isn't as helpless as he seems; he may harbor some mutant power of his own."

"If we take down Morrow and his entourage, it'll only leave the position open to the next power hungry warlord, and we'll be back at square one. We want to bring down everyone involved, and we want to recover as many missing mutants as we can. We also need to find out how they are finding the mutants. Do they have a spy? Or do they have some way of tracking mutants?"

"Let's talk about the key players…" Scott said, as the discussion continued to move forward. Joy, Ororo thought to herself, this was going to be one of their more interesting missions especially now that Interpol was involved.

- - -

**A/N:** I don't know when the hell this is going to end. It's been so on-going. I'll see what I can do about concluding this story… sometime… in the near future… maybe… The next chapter will be up soon. I'm just trying to decide if I want to go route A, route B, or route C.


End file.
